Cannabis DependencePhase 2NCT01005810
A Trial of N-Acetylcysteine (an Over-the-Counter Medicine) in Adolescents Who Smoke Marijuana
A Phase 2 study testing N-Acetylcysteine and Contingency Management in people with Cannabis Dependence, run by Medical University of South Carolina at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study is investigating how N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), an over-the-counter medication, will reduce marijuana use when combined with Contingency Management, a behavioral treatment. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 13 to 21 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Cannabis Dependence
- What is being tested?
- N-Acetylcysteine and Contingency Management
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine, Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 116 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Sep 2009to Aug 2011
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 13 to 21 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult
Who may be able to join
- Age 13-21 years
- Regular Marijuana smoker meeting DSM-IV criteria for cannabis dependence and seeking marijuana cessation treatment
Who cannot join
- Allergy or intolerance to NAC
- Pregnancy or lactation
- Use of carbamazepine or nitroglycerine (or any other drug deemed to be hazardous if taken with NAC) within 14 days of study participation
- Current enrollment in treatment for cannabis dependence
- Current substance dependence, other than cannabis or nicotine
- Significant medical or psychiatric illness that may place the participant at increased risk in the judgement of the study physician
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina, 29403
About this study
Official title: A Controlled Trial of N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) in Cannabis Dependent Adolescents
This study is investigating how N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), an over-the-counter medication, will reduce marijuana use when combined with Contingency Management, a behavioral treatment. It is hypothesized that marijuana dependent adolescents who are treated with NAC will use less marijuana during treatment when compared to adolescents who receive a placebo.
Read the detailed description
This protocol involves investigation of N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) as a pharmacological treatment for cannabis dependence in adolescents. While recent advances have been made in psychosocial treatments for cannabis dependent adolescents, minimal work has been done to investigate the potential adjunctive role for pharmacotherapy in treatment. NAC is an inexpensive, over-the-counter agent with a favorable tolerability profile in adults and children, in common use since FDA approval in 1963. Preclinical and preliminary clinical research in adults suggests a role for NAC in addiction treatment via glutamate modulation.
- Conditions
- Cannabis Dependence
- Being tested
- N-Acetylcysteine, placebo, Contingency Management
- Medical subject headings
- Marijuana Abuse
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
N-AcetylcysteineDrug
Also called NAC
1200 mg twice daily for 8 weeks
placeboDrug
2 capsules twice daily for 8 weeks
Contingency ManagementBehavioural
rewarding biologically verified marijuana abstinence during study visits, with an escalating reward schedule
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| N-Acetylcysteine | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Drug: N-Acetylcysteine; Behavioral: Contingency Management |
| Placebo | Placebo comparator | Not described Receives: Drug: placebo; Behavioral: Contingency Management |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Percentage of Negative Urine Cannabinoid Tests During Treatment
[Total number of negative urine tests per Group divided by the total number of urine tests per Group]*100
Measured: weekly during treatment, for 8 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Nov 2009 (estimated)
- Study startSep 2009
- Primary completionAug 2011
- Study completionAug 2011
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for Cannabis DependenceStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Medical University of South CarolinaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 116 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Medical University of South Carolina
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Kevin Gray, MD, Medical University of South Carolina
- Investigators
- Kevin M Gray, MD, Principal investigator, Medical University of South Carolina
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01005810
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 19152
- Other IDs
- R01DA026777
- Status last verified
- Nov 2018
- First submitted
- 10 Sep 2009
- Last updated
- 21 Nov 2018
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 21 Nov 2018. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Controlled Trial of N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) in Cannabis Dependent Adolescents
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01005810
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 19152
- Conditions
- Cannabis Dependence
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 116 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Medical University of South CarolinaUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Study start
- Sep 2009
- Primary completion
- Aug 2011 (actual)
- Study completion
- Aug 2011 (actual)
- First posted
- 2 Nov 2009 (estimated)
- Results
- Posted 21 Nov 2018
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study is investigating how N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), an over-the-counter medication, will reduce marijuana use when combined with Contingency Management, a behavioral treatment. It is hypothesized that marijuana dependent adolescents who are treated with NAC will use less marijuana during treatment when compared to adolescents who receive a placebo.
Detailed description
This protocol involves investigation of N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) as a pharmacological treatment for cannabis dependence in adolescents. While recent advances have been made in psychosocial treatments for cannabis dependent adolescents, minimal work has been done to investigate the potential adjunctive role for pharmacotherapy in treatment. NAC is an inexpensive, over-the-counter agent with a favorable tolerability profile in adults and children, in common use since FDA approval in 1963. Preclinical and preliminary clinical research in adults suggests a role for NAC in addiction treatment via glutamate modulation.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| N-Acetylcysteine | Active comparator | Drug: N-Acetylcysteine, Behavioral: Contingency Management |
| Placebo | Placebo comparator | Drug: placebo, Behavioral: Contingency Management |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 13 to 21 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Age 13-21 years
- Regular Marijuana smoker meeting DSM-IV criteria for cannabis dependence and seeking marijuana cessation treatment
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Allergy or intolerance to NAC
- Pregnancy or lactation
- Use of carbamazepine or nitroglycerine (or any other drug deemed to be hazardous if taken with NAC) within 14 days of study participation
- Current enrollment in treatment for cannabis dependence
- Current substance dependence, other than cannabis or nicotine
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| N-AcetylcysteineAlso: NAC1200 mg twice daily for 8 weeks | Drug | N-Acetylcysteine |
| placebo2 capsules twice daily for 8 weeks | Drug | Placebo |
| Contingency Managementrewarding biologically verified marijuana abstinence during study visits, with an escalating reward schedule | Behavioural | N-Acetylcysteine, Placebo |
Primary outcome
Percentage of Negative Urine Cannabinoid Tests During Treatment
Time frame: weekly during treatment, for 8 weeks
[Total number of negative urine tests per Group divided by the total number of urine tests per Group]*100
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 21 Nov 2018.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
Related trials for Cannabis Dependence
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Kevin M Gray, MD principal investigator
Medical University of South Carolina
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 2 study testing N-Acetylcysteine and Contingency Management in people with Cannabis Dependence, run by Medical University of South Carolina at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 21 Nov 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
What does this phase mean?
Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 21 Nov 2018). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Percentage of Negative Urine Cannabinoid Tests During Treatment (time frame: weekly during treatment, for 8 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 21 Nov 2018; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.